Good Afternoon,
I thought i would update everyone on what all we have been doing with FTLOM. So far we have accomplished alot and the year has just started!! Currently we have 6 families receiving monthly groceries through our grocery sponsorship program in Yalu. We have just recently added on 2 more families that will receive groceries but they will be delivered in a town that we work in called San Antonio. We also have started making a monthly donation to El Amor de Mateo, our nonprofit in Guatemala which is then given to The Ninos Con Bendicion as a donation and then covers the cost of the salaries for 2 gardeners that work in the community garden in San Antonio that The Ninos Con Bendicion started to help feel the families in their program, as well as to the elderly in their community. Doug and I were able to visit the garden and "hike" up to see all of the work being done in the garden, and then we "earned" a much needed lunch made by Lesbi at The Ninos. I have a hard time keeping one plant alive at my house, so to see how much they are doing in the garden is pretty amazing!!! While in San Antonio, Doug and I were able to visit the new home that my Dec 2019 mission team paid for and present the family the keys to their new home. It was a 2 bedroom home with another room for a bathroom and shower. They have a family of 6 and were extremely grateful for the gift of this home. We also purchased a stove and a water filter along with some groceries to give them. After seeing a need for bunk beds in their homes, we paid to have 3 bunk beds put in as well.
We also stopped in Yalu to visit a few of the boys that we sponsor there and were able to stop by a home that my Arbonne team paid for with money raised from our retreat last year. That family was a family of 6 and again the home was much needed! For the Love of Mateo has now paid for 6 homes to be built ( one was actually a larger home for a larger family so two homes in one), and we have plans to have 3 more built over the next few months.
We also were able to start covering groceries monthly to go to the new nursing home we started supporting, Esperanza Juvenil, and The Ninos Con Bendicion. We typically have our in country assistant, Claudia Flores contact each project monthly to see what their needs are so she can purchase items specific to their needs.
For the Love of Mateo was recognized recently for contributing to the new high school that Esperanza Juvenil purchased and started up this year so children in 7th grade -11th grades can go to school their. Doug and I had the opportunity to travel to Guatemala last week and visit the new high school, its amazing!!! We were able to visit with some of kids that we sponsor and take them out to dinner. Its been so great to get to build a long term relationship with these kids and see them grow up. I love that all of them have aspirations at such a young age to get an education to better their futures!
While in Guatemala last week Doug and I went to a new project we have decided to support called Hogar Madre Anna Vitellio. Its a home for 22 children that are HIV positive and they also have 63 children that live in the community that come 5 days a week to go to school. This home is pretty incredible!! Only one of the children living there actually has full blown AIDS but the others just have the virus. There are 13 nuns that live there and they do have a hospital area where they have nurses there to help take care of children when they are sick or need attention. We will be visiting this home on our upcoming mission trips.
Currently we have 8 mission trips planned for 2019, of which 6 are within 6 months of each others, so i have been a little busy with planning to say the least. I know those that go to Guatemala on our mission trips will be forever changed!! I cant wait to hear their feedback and how the trips have impacted them.
Thank you again to everyone who supports all of our missions of love on a regular basis! We couldn't do what we do without all of our supporters!!
Blessings,
Valerie Edwards